Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-02-10

WRIGHT, KAs., FEE. :, 1887.
To the Editor Of DODGE CITY TINES:
have frequently thought Of writing something
for your excellent paper, but fearing it would only
add to your waste basket, withheld until your
Issue Of Feb. Sd, came to hand.
Under the caption, 'Hitting it on the Head" the
Garden City Sentinel seems to think the great need
of southwestern Kansas, is more men s'who are
not too intelligent to pursue the avocation Of till
Ing the SOIL" I expect the towns and cities Of
south western Kansas, are beginning to feel the
need Of more grangers to come from the east, with
q few hundred dollars, like those Of us have done
who are here, and then be so unintelligent as to
''blow it in at the towns paying from two to ten
times more than we should pay for what we are
compelled to buy. There are scores Of 'good, hon.
est, energetic, farmers in this
country who know just as well the editor Of the
Sentinel, that farming will be success in south
western Kansas, but on account of injustice and
exorbitant prices we have been compelled to pay
for things that absolutely necessary to follow
ing the avocation of farming. Many Of us have
been compelled to abandon our farms and 20 on
to public works to support our families while our
wives and children have been driven to pick coal
on the railroad and gather COW chips on the prai-
ries to keep us from freezing in our dugouts and
to cook scanty meals while the families in the
towns with few exceptions) dress in purple and
fine linen, drive in fine carriages in fair weather,
and sit in coy rooms by warm fires in times Of
billiards.. They don't seem to be satisfied even
with the money we brought with us and what we
can scrape up here, by working on the U. l. C. r.
r. and other places, but the land sharks have got
men in every little town, with money to loan on
our farms, thinking to take advantage of our
cesslty and eventually to turn ont renters,
was IN the east, before we came here. I beseech
you, Brother Granger, hear me patiently /; never
be deluded into the snare Of mortgaging your farm
Look at scores in the east who have done the same
thing and ii you can call to memory one out Of
ten that ever lifted the mortgage, then take your
chances admit that we need more, yea, we need
ten times as much farming done as there is being
DONE There are many other things we need, which
II we had, we would have the farming. We need
q Touring mill that will do custom work, that the
farmer may be encouraged to raise his own bread.
We need some place that we can buy farming i'm
plements without having to pay from so to 900 per
cent. above the manufacturers prices. We need
blacksmithe that won't charge us 80 cents to 81 90
for what would be 10 to Is cent job in the east.
We need some place where We can buy boot and
shoe findings, at reasonable price, that the farm
er may do his own repairing and not have to pay
more for getting pair of half soles pegged on his
boots than he can earn on hs farm in one day with
his team. We need drug store where farmer
can buy pound Of salts. to physic q sick COW or
horse. without having to pay 15c per u h.. when
they retail in the east at 1Oc per 1t Is not much
to the farmer to raise wheat at q
cost Of 6Oc per bushel and sell it for Soc end then
pay $1.25 to get the flour and bran that was made
out of his bushel Of wheat. GRANGER.